General Synod Ends

The end of General Synod has come, and certain things have become clear since last year's tumultuous meeting. Despite numerous pleas from evangelicals, the denomination is committed to dialogue regarding homosexuality. This seems rather odd to me. According to Paul's words in 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, "Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God." Paul is speaking of people who continue in these sins unrepentantly, justifying their ungodly behavior with deceptive arguments, theories, and theological discourse. "Do not be deceived," he counsels us, but nonetheless the RCA seems very much willing to be deceived. Would we have a dialogue on the merits of fornication? Would we discuss legitimizing thievery or extortion? Of course not. Then why are we ignoring the whole counsel of God, and discussing the possibility that some forms of sex outside of marriage are permissible? The simple answer is that there are some among us who want to be "spiritual," to call themselves Christians, while remaining unrepentant in their sins. So we tolerate divorce, multiple divorce, pre-marital sex, adultery, and all deviant forms of human sexuality. We have failed to discipline, and to impose the Word upon the church, and so we have lost our power, our divine unction, and our numbers keep plummeting. God's hand of blessing is being lifted, and we are trying to plan, program, and market ourselves out of our spiritual destitution. Only revival will help. Only God-owned, Spirit-led revival which places a burning desire in the hearts of men and women everywhere to weep over their sins, fall down upon their faces and repent before a holy God, saying, "Have mercy upon me! For I am a sinner. Have mercy upon me! For I never want to sin again!" Only a revival where God's holy and infallible Word is restored as the only authority for life and faith in the church will save us. Did you hear such a cry at General Synod? Did you hear our leaders lament over our sins?

No. Instead they did business on the Sabbath, despising the Lord's Day, so they could end their sacred duty early and go home. Instead they learned about dancing, prattled on about new confessions, and rejected the evangelicals' cry for clarity and biblical sanity, so that we may spend thousands more dollars of the Lord's money on a dialogue about whether sin is sinful. Meanwhile thousands more souls perish in darkness, and churches close, and Bibles sit unread. Let us pray for God's mercy and for revival, and for godly, orthodox leadership.